New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-12-26
ITS PIECES STREWN OvER THE SEA.
FOUND by THE ENTERPRISE sOUTHEAST
OF NANTUCKET SHOALS.
THE WAR SHIP AMONG THE LOGS FOR A DAY AND
fAhi oF NIGHr-rHEY WERE FLOATING
RAPlDLY APART WITH IHE TIDE
NO DANGER TO NAvIGA.

was 80 miles southeast by south from the shoals
she fell in with an immense number of logs, in
dlcating that the raft had broken up The steamer
was among the logs all day and part of the night
OF Friday. None Of the logs were lashed together,
Dut hoated singly, and spread they travelled
with the tide They were not in the path of ocean
steamers, and Commander McCalla does not be-
lIeye there is any danger from that source"
reporter of The TRIBUNE called at the homo
of James ID. Leary, No. 43 East Twenty ST.,
last night and informed by his son that tho
owner of the lost raft had retired for the night
The son declined to awaken his father and said
that he did not wish to discuss the matter. lie
stated that no information as to the finding of the
fragments of the raft had been received By his
father.
THE BUILDING OF THE MONSTER.
This announcement will undoubtedly revive
the interest which has been manifested by the pub
lic and especially by those Interested in shipping
matters, in the picturesque circumstances which
have surrounded the story of the monster collec-
tion of logs since the Miranda abandoned IT, Tho
raft was built on the coast of Nova Scotia, near
Port JOggis, in one of the Of the Bay Of Fundy
and was successfully launched on November 10.
The idea of conveying huge masses of timber
over long ocean distances in the shape of raft
is due in this to Hugh T. Robertson of Nova
Scotia, who has secured patent on the ship-raft.
as it may loosely be termed. James d. Leary o
prominent ship-buder of this city, determined to
utilize the scheme as a means of economical trans
p0rtation between the forests of Nova Scotia and
his shipyarls in WILLIAMSBURG
BIGGER AND HEAVIER THAN THE GREAT EASTERN.
For two years the big raft being slowly
perfected until it blOSsOmed into a craft larger.
wider and almost three times as heavy the Great
Eastern. 1t $50 feet long, 65 feet wide, SO
feet high and drew 20 feet OF water, while $4,000
logs measuring from eight to almost 90 feet in
length, of almost all sorts of ship timber, made
up the huge mass, which was disposed in sixty
layers and represented over million lneal feet.
The distinctive feature of the craft, however, was
the mode of construction Through the middle
ran an iron chain, which formed the central con-
nection for a series of smaller chains and wthes
binding the numerous logs in one compact mass
One end of this line utilized for towing pur-
poses, while system of chains, encircling and COM
pressing the whole, WAS designed to furnish suf-
fcent pressure to restrain and tighten the bulk
Mr.. Robertson claims for this system
the peculiar fea ,ure OF an actual tighvenIng and
compress IN the whole mass by the strain which
the tug-work Distributes through each stick by
ton on the central cham.
ALL WENT WE'LL FORA TIME.
The actual venture Of this modern levatlan was
made on December s, IN company with the steamer
Miranda. of the Red cross Line, a vessel OF 1900
tons burden. Everything went merry as mar
rage bell for the first few days and 1t seemed i'm
possible that the peaceful relations existing be-
tween the puIier aud the pulled should ever become
severely strained to cause actual sever
ance Of all relations.
Within ten short days, however, the sig was
up" and the Miranda and its PLAYMATE were not on
speaking eve1. Four tive gales struck the
vessel and ITS mate IN Rapid successIoD and on tho
17rh "a perfecl hurricane" the log calls it,
came: "a terrific sea" In the strain became
50 intense that the relations of tower and towed
were reversed
the GREAT STEEL HAwsER SNAPS.
At last the big tfteen-inch steel hawser snapped,
and shortly after it's companion of ten-nch
thickness sneaked quietly away, and the
raft drlfted astern. On arriving in port
at Whtestone. l.. l.. last Tuesday
the Miranda sent the announcement of the event
10 this clty AID the loss and its consequences be-
came " the IA OF the town..
liz was Immediate pOrpie out by those whO'wers
i'll position to know that the pOssioliiIes for
danger and destruction embodied in The raft to the
passenger and ire gh' vessels of the ocea mace 10
Imperative and necessary that measures should be
taken 10 find the raft and to warn incoming ves-
sells of the obstruction on the nigh seas.
NDING our MAN-OF-wAR.
Tie Maritime Exchange. through Its super
intendent, Francis w. HoughtOD, directed the at
Ientlon of Secretary Whitney. of the Navy. and
Secretary FaiTchid of the Treasury. to the mat
ter and Oh Wednesday night the man-ot-war Enter
prise let the Brooklyn Navy Ward under rnstruc-
tous from the Srcre OF the Navy Ou Friday
the revenue en-, ter Grant. Captain Davis. under
orders from Secretary Faircnid started out With .
rowing commission. The owner Of tue raft, mean
while, noe idle. and on thursday he
dspa ched the steamer Morse tO the place
where the rafi last seen. as shown bv he log
latitude 40O 1G north, and longitude TO0 o. west.
The early start of the rnterprise, however, gave
II q decided advantage. and the early snip mas
cauglt the rast-Or Its remnants.
WERE THE OIL AND PROVISIONS Lowf
The discussion OF the loss of the raft has re-
ce we'd an additional touch of interest through tho
statements of James ID. Leary that tho
Miranda abandoned the vesse! because
its supplies of lubricatlng oil and provisions
were almost exhausted. The owner declared fur
ther IN At ne would hold the contractors Bowrng
Il Archibald. responsible, because they had vO-
lated their contract lDasmuch as the Miranda
reached the raft several days after the contract
time.
The contractors enter an unqualified denial to
these charges, and have expressed their conhdencd
that no lega, iroI bes will arise from this tale or
tub. What effect the leleeIaphc announcement
of the disintegratlon of the raft VIII have upon
these statements pro and con remains to be seen.
roco rnrrNn nv TUE srUooEER MISrI ETOE